I’ve been running all spring and summer to get ready for a race: Across the Bay 10K.
It’s this weekend!
Abusers often use pets as pawns, which means many survivors tend to hang around solely because of concern for their pets. There aren’t enough domestic violence shelters nationwide that accept pets. This means that frequently, survivors are forced to choose between a life without their pet, or a dangerous living situation.
The idea for this incredible project was born, when a woman called our hotline after her boyfriend had beaten her – almost to death – with a hammer. Immediately we found space for this young woman and arranged for the police to bring her to a shelter. There was one problem. She had a 110-pound Great Dane whom she refused to leave behind. The dog had saved her life by lying on top of her during the attack and taking the majority of the blows. As a result, he sustained many broken bones, including a hip and two ribs. She refused to abandon her dog.
In 2012, with help from Bayer, Rose Brooks Center became the first domestic violence shelter in the region to welcome four-legged family members, and –no surprise here — the therapeutic benefits pets have on abuse survivors became abundantly clear. Bayer’s donation of $50,000 helped to fund the creation of Paws Place, a pet shelter co-located on Rose Brooks’ facility, providing a safe place for survivors of domestic abuse to spend time with their pets and heal together. Since its creation, Bayer has supported Rose Brooks Center every year by providing funding for pet care costs and facility maintenance.
“We cherish the relationship we have with Bayer Animal Health, and cannot thank them enough for their support over the years,” said Zoe Agnew Svboda, Paws Place Program Coordinator. “Paws Place is changing the lives of the individuals walking through our doors every day, and we are thankful that we’re able to provide the care they need to heal and move forward.”
Here’s what one survivor said about her decision to come to Paws Place for refuge. “My dog is a big part of my family, and is my emotional support system. It’s hard to put into words, but animals heal [you]—more than sitting in a chair for therapy. If it weren’t for Paws Place, I wouldn’t have come to the shelter and I would have lost my kids. My dog would have stayed chained up with my abuser. Animals are protectors, and my dog stepped in to protect me from my abuser several times.” Yeah. I totally get how important a dog can be. To every dog owner, but particularly a dog who’s stood by you with emotional support no matter what.
Bayer has begun extending support to other domestic violence shelters that understand the importance of pets in the overall health and well-being of survivors. This year, two domestic violence shelters are receiving $20,000 from Bayer. Noah’s Animal House, Las Vegas, Nevada, and the Urban Resource Institute in New York City have campuses equipped to heal both the survivors of domestic violence and their pets.
In 2005, a heartbreaking story of a woman escaping her battered life with her pet inspired the shelter to remove their “No Pets Allowed” sign, and Noah’s Animal House, in Las Vegas, was built two years later. Noah’s Animal House is a full-service boarding facility on the grounds of Nevada’s largest women and children’s shelter, The Shade Tree Shelter. After eight years in operation, Noah’s Animal House has cared for and protected over 1,000 pets for the women and children at the shelter.
In 2013, the URI People and Animals Living Safely (URIPALS) program was launched on-site at URI’s Urban Women’s Safe Haven and Urban Women’s Retreat shelters. URIPALS is the first co-sheltering program in New York City, and one of few offered nationwide, that is equipped to house families and pets together, preserving their welfare and safety.
The Pet and Women Safety (PAWS) Act is currently in review and aims to help bridge the gap between the need of services for domestic violence survivors with pets and the ability of agencies to meet those needs. This bill is adamant about removing the roadblock that is essential to the safety of these survivors, acknowledging that more services are urgently needed to accomplish this.
“We recognize the great need to support domestic violence shelters that care for both survivors and their beloved pets,” said Lauren Dorsch, Senior Manager of Communications, Bayer Animal Health. “Survivors of domestic violence should not have to choose between their safety and a loved one, and these shelters make it possible for them to heal in a safe place, without saying goodbye to their pets.”
As involved with dogs as I am, I’d not thought about the clear need for survivors to have a safe place they can go with their pet. This is important stuff and with the help of Bayer (for the funding) and YOU for writing to you government representatives, we can really make a difference here!
About Bayer: Science For A Better Life
Bayer is a global enterprise with core competencies in the Life Science fields of health care and agriculture. Its products and services are designed to benefit people and improve their quality of life. At the same time, the Group aims to create value through innovation, growth and high earning power. Bayer is committed to the principles of sustainable development and to its social and ethical responsibilities as a corporate citizen. In fiscal 2015, the Group employed around 117,000 people and had sales of EUR 46.3 billion. Capital expenditures amounted to EUR 2.6 billion, R&D expenses to EUR 4.3 billion. These figures include those for the high-tech polymers business, which was floated on the stock market as an independent company named Covestro on Oct. 6, 2015. For more information, go to www.bayer.com.
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That’s a rare occurrence around here, thankfully. Our tale begins with Tango.
He’s 13 years old, he has lots of joint issues, and it’s to be expected.
I thought he had gotten into the liquor cabinet. Not that we have one, (beer stays in the refrigerator) but if we did, he had definitely gotten into it. He was stumbling, looked like he didn’t really know where he was, and couldn’t focus on me very well. I tried to get him to move around a bit, thinking he was just stiff.
Yeah, no. He was definitely off. I got my iPhone out, started recording, and then watched it back. It wasn’t my imagination, things were woozy and wobbly.
I snuck him a Kong (he’s the favorite dog, he gets extra special treats) and went about eating my breakfast. Five minutes later, I hear his feet scrabbling on the hardwood floors. I find him splay-legged, disoriented, and unsteady.
Definite problems are happening so I decide to run him to the veterinarian. My fatalist mind is spinning: “brain tumor, stroke, spinal lesion…”
(I’m not a veterinarian, I don’t play one on tv, so dear lord don’t take what I say here to be either accurate or what the veterinarians actually said — I was an emotional dog owner, I probably comprehended 1/5 of what we talked about, lol.)
This is great news! If it is indeed vestibular disease, it’ll fix itself in a couple of weeks. In the meantime, I have to keep him safe: block off access to stairs, make sure he doesn’t rest too long on one side, doesn’t soil himself, etc. TOTALLY DOABLE! He’ll get lots of Kongs on his bed, be the recipient of even more attention, and will be watched like a hawk for any sign of improvement.
Well, that and the fact that I cleaned up two piles of poo (Thanks Lily, thanks Schooner) and a puddle of pee (I did leave in a hurry and didn’t let the dogs out before I spirited Tango away to the veterinarian, so I deserved that one). Old dogs — not for the faint of heart, man.
It’s a pain because (1) it’s hard to take the bed apart, (2) it’s impossible to wash the actual cushioning, and (3) once it’s clean, you gotta put that sucker back together again. It takes two people, four hands, and about 15 swear words to accomplish just the putting it back together step. It’s kinda a pain in the a$$. See, there’s a swear word and I’m just thinking about that process.
My oldest girl, Lily, at 14 years old, developed a sudden problem with peeing in the house. Took her to the vet and turned out she had a urinary tract infection. Bottom line: ALWAYS take your dog to the veterinarian to rule out medical conditions. THEN use these tips to help manage your sanity.
You’re still going to have to do laundry — the fleecy cover needs to be washed when you find pee-laden incontinence pads. But it’s so much easier to wash that little fleece piece than it is to turn that bed inside out, de-stuff it, let the pee-drenched insert dry in the sun (which works only in the summer), wash the whole bed, and then put the whole thing back together. Again.
An incontinence pad is a multi-layered pad with a waterproof, leakproof plastic bottom layer. It’s usually sealed around all four edges, as well, to prevent leakage. There are several layers of absorbent material to help soak up the urine.
Another tip: if the disposable incontinence pads fill you with dread because you can’t reuse them, check out the washable incontinence pads. I did a quick search on Amazon.com “reusable incontinence bed pads” and found several different options. Here’s a 4 pack of 34″ x 36″ (great for Labrador sized dogs) for roughly $25. If pink isn’t your color, try these pads that are the same size, just blue/green instead of pink for about the same price.
Do you have ideas for help with an incontinent dog? Share below in the comments!
Worst feeling ever. Especially when the dog puts on the brakes when you reach the point that you can’t go with them anymore.
Today is joint injection day for Tango. I know he’s in good hands. We’re at a sports medicine veterinary specialist for freak’s sake. These people do this kind of thing every single day. It’s not even surgery, I keep telling myself.
Our real trouble started when the NSAIDs he was taking for pain caused an ulcer. While the NSAID was a great pain reliever, it’s now not a tool we can use to help manage Tango’s pain. Dang it — it seemed to be working great when it wasn’t eating through his stomach.
And exercise. And stretching. And muscle relaxers. Now, we’re adding joint injections.
It’s the reason he was released from the service dog agency when he was an adolescent (no symptoms, but x-rays showed definitive trouble early on…). So it’s not like any of this is a surprise. It doesn’t make it any easier to watch him go through the stages, however.
So now we’re at the joint injection stage. This seemed like a long way away when the options were laid out earlier this year.
Oh yeah, that’s my middle name. “He’s only 13 years old!” I’d tell myself. He’s got a couple more years left before we have to even think about this level of treatment.
Denial is a great thing sometimes. But then real life says “Hey you! Pay attention! This sh!+’s REAL!” Sometimes real life is a buzzkill, y’know?
And time will tell how expensive they’ll be. I got an estimate that ranged from $250 – $1,000. It all depends on sedation, if I’m remembering correctly. And how frequently he needs the injections.
I’ll write a post-injection blog post a little later — with hopefully rave reviews.
Anyone out there experienced joint injections (hyaluronic acid) for their arthritic dog? Any pointers? Helpful information? Please leave a comment and let me know!
These three things are simple enough for everyone to do with their own dog. Try it for a month and let me know how much better your dog is doing when you ask him to do something for you.
It may feel like a waste of time to do this extra work. You’ve already taught your dog good manners, why should you have to do more? Because, like people, dogs do better when they get a little more support, attention, and instruction.
Sure, you can go along with a dog that sorta sometimes listens, but why stop halfway? Especially when it’s so easy to take it to the next level where your dog isn’t only listening to you but is happy to do it!
Plus, life is a whole lot easier for you when cooperation is the norm, instead of the exception. Wouldn’t it be nice if your dog came the first time you called (and was wagging his tail the whole way), instead of going out into the yard and chasing him around a bit, resulting in your being late for work?
These are all pretty easy, dirt cheap, quick, and effective. Let’s dive right in without delay!
Change up the reward. Make a list of the things your dog really likes. No need to spend much time on this — make your list on the back of an envelope or on your phone, even. It doesn’t matter where you write all this stuff down, the purpose of this quick exercise is to show you just how many things your dog enjoys.
Here’s what would be on my dog’s list:
Look at all those different things I can offer my dog when he’s done something I’ve asked! Switching up rewards keeps your dog interested in what you’re asking, makes it fun to listen to you, and will greatly improve his manners.
Make it unpredictable. If your dog knows that when he comes inside, he gets a boring old dog cookie, you can bet he’s not going to be in much of a rush to do what you’ve asked. Think of it this way: if you knew that when you go back to work after lunch, you’ve got a 4-hour boring teleconference, wouldn’t you want to hang out at the restaurant a little longer? Would you really want to rush back to work? Just to sit in a meeting all afternoon? (If you answer yes to this, you’re an odd character and I don’t understand you.)
With the list you created above, you’re now ready for huge variability in how you reward your dog for doing what you like. You’re the gatekeeper to all the things your dog loves. Open that gate to those things when your dog does what you like! Be generous! No one appreciates a stingy gift. If your dog comes to you — no matter how long it took him — reward generously with one (or two or three!) of those things on the list above. I’ll bet you he comes even faster the next time you call him. And even faster the time after that! It’s a beautiful cycle — you reward generously and unpredictably and your dog responds faster and with more enthusiasm. It’s a cool thing to see when your dog recognizes that listening to you opens up the door for him to have fun, get a goodie, or play a game with you.
Practice. How many days a week do your kids spend practicing with their school sports teams? How many practice days do professional athletes put in before every game? A LOT in both cases. We completely expect athletes to put in the practice time if they’re going to be star players, right? The same thing goes for your dog. Your dog will be as good as his practice. If he’s going to be a star, he needs practice time.
What does this mean for you? It means that right before you’re going to give your dog something from that list you created (above), you’re going to ask him to do something for you. If we look at the coming when called example again, it means maybe you call your dog three times before you really need him to come in. Let’s say you’re getting ready for work and you know that you have to leave the house at 7:30a to get to work on time. Instead of calling your dog to come in at 7:25a (where he’ll be “rewarded” by being crated and your leaving , call him at 7:10a. When he comes to you, give him a tasty treat and send him back outside to play in the fenced yard. Call him again at 7:15a. Maybe you throw a squeaky toy for him and let him continue to play and explore the yard. At 7:20 call him again, this time you chase him for 15 seconds around the yard (if he loves to be chased, of course). Then at 7:25, the for real, I need you to come right away call, he gets a stuffed Kong inside the house (in his crate if you crate him during the day) as you leave.
This doesn’t take much extra time, but boy does it make a big impression on your dog! If you stick to this practice regimen (calling your dog when you can reward him and send him back out to play [another reward!]), before you know it, your dog’s recall will be stellar! He’ll come to you the first time, every time!
These three things work independently of the other. They work even better if you implement all three strategies together. This stuff is easy — anyone can work it into their schedule. It’s cheap, it’s easy — and it’s effective. Start by making the list of the things your dog loves, then start the program. You’ll be amazed at the difference you can make!
Smart Dog U really helped me deal with my first puppy and help me grow her (Etta) into a sweet little girl. Without that training from SDU this would have been a tough journey.
Ingrid CopelandWe did in-home training and group classes which helped us welcome Ember into our family. Her understanding of both dogs and busy families made the training easy and guilt-free.
Beth SchillaciThank goodness I discovered Smart Dog University! Laurie’s methods quickly made me realize that I was the one in need of training. The end result: A well behaved pup (Kasey) who is a true companion!
Matt ChurchLaurie is someone Your Dog’s Friend depends on for good information on dog behavior and training presented in an engaging, understandable way. She has done free workshops for us; we have used her articles in our newsletter; and she is a trainer whom I can refer people to with total confidence.
Debra Ekman, Your Dog’s FriendLaurie is a very knowledgeable and experienced trainer. She does a wonderful job with both the dog and owner. She is easily approachable and genuinely wants to make sure you and your dog are getting the most out of her classes.
Suzie Brown